Tuesday, April 15, 2008

American Horror Fans, Hollywood Thinks You're Dumb

And I'll be perfectly honest--you haven't done much lately to dissuade them from that belief, first justifying the microscopic theatrical release of Diary of the Dead, then making the remake of Prom Night the number-one movie in the country.

But that's not why I'm writing today. I know that American horror fans aren't dumb--at least no moreso than the general public at large. I know that if given the proper marketing treatment, the Spanish zombie flick [REC] could be a major hit in the U.S.A. In my opinion the finest horror picture in years, yet American distributors just don't have confidence in a foreign language film. But even if they had to--gasp!--dub it into English, it would be worth it.

What got me thinking about this again was last Friday's premiere of [REC] in the United Kingdom, a nation which shares our own native tongue (you can read some reviews from U.K. filmgoers here). After its Spanish run last November, the movie hit Italy in February, Russia in March, and Portugal and Sweden last week. Later this week, it's the Netherlands and Finland. Later this month, France and Belgium. Next month, Germany and Austria. And in June, Japan. Distributors in all those countries have no problem exhibiting the film, yet the U.S. holds firm in perpetuating its cultural isolationism.

After all, why take a gamble on a foreign flick when we can churn out yet another Americanized remake? That's what's happening, in case you haven't heard. Called Quarantine, it looks like a nearly shot-for-shot redo, and it hits theaters in October. On the bright side, the movie will star Jennifer Carpenter, who is excellent on Showtime's Dexter as the sister of the title character.

Here's the trailer, for those curious:

I won't lie, I'll probably go see it. Guess that makes me a hypocrite, since the more successful Quarantine is, the more it will reinforce the notion that American audiences need their entertainment spoonfed to them.

27 comments:

Im not against (the right) remakes and I love Jennifer Carpenter, but after seeing the trailer for Quarantine, I was overwhelmed with discontent. They even reveal the end of the movie in the trailer! I HAAAAAAATE IT when studios do that. [REC] was such an amazing movie for what it is (low budget pov) and the idea of americanizing it is sickening to me.

Back to the point of the post though, I dont believe horror fans alone can determine the success of a horror movie. I do believe that the rampant number of teens who are restricted by curfews, R ratings, and other activities with 18+ & 21+ age requirements can put a pg13 mediocre horror film over the top, though. None of my friends under 21 even know Prom Night is a remake! So, does that mean hollywood thinks horror fans are dumb, or does that mean they know where the easy money is?

You have to understand that by "horror fans", I mean anyone who gets a kick out of a decent horror movie, even casual moviegoers--in other words, not just horror hounds. So, basically, they're treating the entire moviegoing public as if they're dumb. Why on Earth couldn't [REC] be a success in the U.S., even dubbed? Basically, if movies like Godzilla, The Good the Bad and the Ugly or Enter the Dragon had been made today, they would've had to have been REMADE to get an American release, whereas in their own time, they got a US release and became classics.

True. But what I'm saying is that there are casual horror movie fans, and hardcore horror movie fans, just like with anything else. Casual fans make up a much larger number, and are more than enough to make a movie profitable.

I feel the same way you do, except with a the Asian horror flick, A Tale of Two Sisters. I'm not a huge fan of Asian horror, at least from the last 7 years since they all blend together now (thanks Ringu), but Two Sisters, is in my opinion a damn good movie, and one that is being remade before being brought over shores. I've yet to see [REC] (but I really want to) and it's a damn shame I won't get the chance to pay for the actual film, and will instead be left having to download it.

But I'm with wes on the issue, we know about horror movies because we love them, however, most of my friends are oblivious to the fact that most horror films are just half-assed remakes of classic films.

In America, subtitled films are traditionally relegated to arthouses, unfortunately. I always prefer subtitles to dubbing, but I do think dubbing could help these movies succeed with mainstream American audiences. Especially these days, when they're able to do a much better job than in decades past. One of these days, a distributor will have the guts to give it a try.

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Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...